7
Chapter Seven
Sophia
“I am not your Dom,” he enunciates each word clearly and forcefully, leaving no room for doubt. The sobs wrack my body before I can even take the first step out of his home.
I sit straight up in bed and gasp for air. The tears flow freely down my cheeks and it takes a few minutes for me to calm down. That whole dream of Dominic felt so real–every last part of it, even when I would sit outside of his lake house and wait for him to come home. I felt his hands on me as he brought me such intense pleasure. I felt his breath on my neck and the warmth of his chest against my back. I also felt the crushing pain in my chest when he sent me away.
Swinging my feet off the side of the bed, I decide to get up early and get ready for work. I’m healed enough now to return to the office to work, and there’s still that lingering hope that I will see and talk to Dominic today. I know better than to jump up out of bed, but my dream-turned-nightmare about my Dom temporarily disoriented me, and now the morning sickness has me running for the bathroom.
It’s going to be a great fucking day.
The aromasof food wafting through the office make my stomach churn as I walk to my office. Even shutting my door doesn’t keep them at bay. They float in on the air and surround me. I try to focus on the work I have to do but after so long, I’m making another mad dash for the bathroom. My online searches said the morning sickness usually only lasts for the first trimester and I pray that holds true for me. I take a few minutes in the bathroom to collect myself and brush my teeth.
On my way back to my office, Dana stops me in the hallway.
“Dominic wants to see you in his office, Sophia. I tried to call a couple of times but you didn’t answer.” Her tone and face holds obvious concern for me. “Sophia, are you all right? You look so pale!”
“Yes, I’m fine, Dana. Thank you. Will you let Mr. Powers know I will be up right away? I just have to finish something on my desk first.”
Dana smiles and nods, “Come on up when you’re ready, Sophia.”
I’m shaking as I sit down at my desk. My hands are trembling and my legs feel like they’re made of wet noodles. My already queasy stomach churns again and I grab a saltine cracker out of my bag. The crackers and Sprite are all I can count on to help settle my nausea right now but I can’t very well carry them into his office. I nibble and sip for a minute before I attempt to move again.
Walking into Dom’s office suddenly feels like I’m walking straight into a trap. Cheryl, the corporate lawyer, and Shadow are both waiting with Dominic. When he asks if I want to resume reporting to him and working with him, I almost leap out of my chair in excitement. YES! Yes, I want that more than I can express. Even when Cheryl says our interactions will be recorded, I’m fine with that provision. I would agree to anything that gets me close to him again.
Unexpectedly, Shadow asks Cheryl and Dominic to excuse us and I know exactly why. He wants the answers that I’ve been trying to give to Cheryl for the last two months. True to Shadow’s nature, he gets right to the point with me.
“What have you been trying to tell Cheryl?”
“That I didn’t file a sexual harassment lawsuit against Dominic. I heard what was said the day the papers were delivered, just before Dominic shut the door in my face,” I recall and lower my eyes to the floor. “I was on my way to his office to tell him about my involvement with Harrison and that he was up to something new. But, I was too late.”
“So, you are Harrison’s sub?”
“I was–but I haven’t been for a while now,” I answer truthfully.
“But you were when you and Dominic first got together?”
“Yes,” I say shamefully. “Harrison said he was sharing me with Dominic but I was supposed to give Harrison information to hurt Dominic. Harrison always said that Dominic killed Carol Ann and he wanted to destroy him for it.
“After I got to know Dominic, and I saw how different he was from Harrison, I knew he couldn’t have killed her. So, I told Harrison that it was over between us, I was staying with Dominic, and I wouldn’t help him anymore. He threatened me, as usual, kept calling me, and acting more and more desperate. He threatened Dominic’s life if I didn’t answer the phone every Sunday night. Said he still owned me and I had signed my life away to him.
“I am guilty of helping Harrison in the beginning, when I first started working here. He wanted me to get close to Dominic and find out about Carol Ann’s death. But, I soon ended it between us and I was just trying to keep him away from Dominic. It got so out of hand so fast. I was on my way to confess everything that last day, when Harrison called me here, just before the lawsuit papers were delivered.”
“That certainly answers a lot of my questions,” Shadow says, but his voice doesn’t convey any emotion. I can’t tell if he’s mad, disgusted, or understanding of my predicament. “Do you mind answering a couple of questions in front of Dominic and Cheryl?”
“No, not at all. I’ve been trying to tell them,” I emphatically state.
Shadow nods and says, “One last question–who is your lawyer?”
“I don’t have a lawyer,” I look him square in the eye and respond.
“Good. I want you to be the one to tell Cheryl that when they come in,” Shadow instructs before he goes to the door and calls them back in.
My stomach is rolling as I answer Shadow’s questions in front of Dom and Cheryl. Any lingering nausea is completely forgotten when Cheryl insults my abilities to do my job. I’ve worked hard to obtain the position I’m in now. The sacrifices I made during college and during my summers out of school paid off more than I would’ve ever imagined as far as my business acumen is concerned. Spending more time with my books than with people may not have been as beneficial to me, however.
When Shadow shows me the signature page of the lawsuit, my first reaction was shame.Did he just ask me all those questions to embarrass me in front of Cheryl and Dominic?This was clearly the signature page of my submissive contract. I would recognize it anywhere. When Shadow said it came from the lawsuit paperwork, I have a hard time reconciling the two separate things in my mind.
